Mt Fuji Climbing Season 2027

Closed Since September 10, With the First Snowcap Still to Come (Updated October 2)

Mt Fuji cannot be climbed again until July 2027. All four trails above the 5th stations closed on September 10, and they are closed in law, as roads, not merely out of season. The huts, toilets and first-aid posts are shut, and the top already dips below freezing: on Oct 2 the summit station read −2.4°C at its coldest and 3.3°C at its warmest. The first snowcap has not come yet; the normal date is October 2, and in 2025 it waited until Oct 23.

The season just ended was the busiest since 2017. The Ministry of the Environment counted 240,436 climbers at the 8th stations, 17% more than in 2025, with 6,445 on the busiest day, Sunday, Jul 19. Every trail opened on its planned day, and the Yoshida trail's limit of 4,000 climbers a day never shut the gate: on the closest day, July 19, 3,992 had gone through by 14:00, when it shuts anyway.

Nothing for 2027 is official yet. No date, no fee, no rule. What is moving is the closed season: on September 14 Yamanashi Prefecture set out a plan to charge for helicopter rescues of people who climb when the mountain is shut and to start a climbing notification system, without an amount or a start date, and Shizuoka has a working group on the same question. For next summer, mountain huts' booking days should come first: one hut, Akaiwa Hachigokan, already says its 2027 bookings start in January.

What is still possible this autumn: the roads to all four 5th stations are open, the three on the Shizuoka side until snow closes them in early to mid November, and the short path from the Fujinomiya 5th station to the 6th stays open until about the same time.

Mt Fuji Opening Dates 2027, Trail by Trail

Neither prefecture has published a 2027 date, so the dates below are 2026's, marked as expected. An opening only becomes certain a week or so ahead, once the snow left on the trail has been checked: in 2026 a joint patrol walked the Yoshida trail on June 22. The last time one slipped was 2019, when the Yoshida trail opened only as far as the 8.5th station on July 1 and to the summit on July 9.

• Yoshida trailClosed for winter

  2027

  July 1 expected (not announced)

  2026

  Jul 1 to Sep 10

  Starts at

  Fuji Subaru Line 5th Station, 2,305 m (Yamanashi)

  Up / down

  6 h 10 min / 3 h 35 min

• Subashiri trailClosed for winter

  2027

  July 1 expected (not announced)

  2026

  Jul 1 to Sep 10

  Starts at

  Subashiri 5th Station, 2,000 m (Shizuoka)

  Up / down

  6 h 25 min / 3 h 20 min

• Gotemba trailClosed for winter

  2027

  July 10 expected (not announced)

  2026

  Jul 10 to Sep 10

  Starts at

  Gotemba New 5th Station, 1,440 m (Shizuoka)

  Up / down

  8 h 40 min / 3 h 30 min

• Fujinomiya trailClosed for winter

  2027

  July 10 expected (not announced)

  2026

  Jul 10 to Sep 10

  Starts at

  Fujinomiya 5th Station, 2,400 m (Shizuoka)

  Up / down

  5 h 10 min / 2 h 40 min

Trail colours are the ones the official route maps use. Times are the official climbing site's standard figures from the 5th station to the crater rim, without breaks; Kengamine, the highest point at 3,776 m, is 20 to 60 minutes further round the rim.

The summit opens last. The walk round the crater rim, about 3 km and 90 minutes, and Kengamine itself opened on July 10 in 2026. From July 1 to 9, climbers on the Yoshida and Subashiri trails could reach the top of their trail but could not circle the rim or stand on the highest point, and the official site says the date depends on the snow left there.

What Gets Announced When

The season is announced in pieces by two prefectures, a ministry, a toll road and some forty huts. This is the order the pieces arrived in last time, with the date each one landed, and what has landed so far for 2027.

• Shizuoka's final report on the season just endedExpected
  Early October 2026
  Last time (Oct 1, 2025): That was the report on the 2025 season. For 2026 only the provisional figure is out so far: 117,051 people entered at the three Shizuoka trailheads.
• Yoshida trail's lower sections close for winterExpected
  November 1, 2026
  Last time: No notice from last autumn is still online. This year's says the paths between the Subaru Line 5th station, Izumigataki and Sato-goya are due to close at midnight on November 1, or sooner if it snows. Above that, the trail has been closed since September 11.
• Shizuoka's three roads to the 5th stations close for winterExpected
  Early to mid November 2026, announced once it is decided
  Last time: The date is set by snow and ice and announced when it is decided: normally early November for the Fujisan Skyline, early to mid November for the Subashiri and Gotemba roads.
• Decisions on closed-season climbing: a rescue fee and a notification systemExpected
  Winter 2026-27, no date given
  Last time (Sep 14, 2026): Yamanashi published the direction only: a charge for rescues by its disaster helicopter, reduced or waived for climbers who filed a plan and took safety measures, and a Mt Fuji climbing notification system. No amount, area or start date.
• The first huts post their booking datesExpected
  January 2027
  Last time (Jan 3, 2026): Tomoekan posted its 2026 season, prices and booking day (May 11) on January 3. Hakuunso followed on January 30.
• The Subaru Line stops reaching the 5th stationExpected
  Mid January 2027, depending on snow
  Last time (Jan 18, 2026): January 18 was the last day cars reached the 5th station; after that the road ran only to the 1st-station car park or the 4th-station Osawa car park until April 18.
• Yoshida trail rules and fee for the seasonExpected
  Mid March 2027
  Last time (Mar 13, 2026): ¥4,000 per climb, the gate shut from 14:00 to 3:00, a cap of 4,000 climbers a day and an equipment check at the gate, described as no major change from 2025. March 13 is the date on the official site's notice; Yamanashi put out no separate press release.
• Day-by-day crowding forecast for the seasonExpected
  Early April 2027
  Last time (Apr 8, 2026): A four-level calendar published as an image; April 8 is the date of the image file. It marked nine days as very crowded, and four of the five days that turned out busiest were among them.
• Subaru Line open to the 5th station againExpected
  About April 17, 2027
  Last time (Apr 18, 2026): Announced on April 15 for Saturday, April 18 at 9:00, once the snow was cleared.
• Shizuoka's three roads to the 5th stations reopenExpected
  About Friday, April 23, 2027
  Last time (Apr 24, 2026): Announced on April 17 for Friday, April 24 at 11:00. The Fujisan Skyline stayed shut at night until mid May because of ice.
• Yoshida trail entry reservations openExpected
  Late April 2027
  Last time (Apr 27, 2026): Opened Monday, April 27 at 13:00 (announced April 17): 3,000 advance slots a day, with the rest of the 4,000 held for same-day arrivals.
• Shizuoka-side rules, fee and opening datesExpected
  Late April 2027
  Last time (Apr 27, 2026): ¥4,000, a compulsory online safety course and test, no entry from 14:00 to 3:00 without a hut booking, and no daily cap. New in 2026: Subashiri opened on July 1 instead of July 10.
• Shizuoka pre-registration opens in the FUJI NAVI appExpected
  Early May 2027
  Last time (May 8, 2026): Registration ran from May 8 to September 10; about 90% of Shizuoka-side climbers registered in advance.
• The main wave of hut bookingsExpected
  May 1 to mid May 2027
  Last time (May 11, 2026): May 11 was the busiest day: Tomoekan, Taishikan and Goraikokan all opened. Of the nine Yoshida-side huts from the 7th station up that stated a day, seven opened between May 1 and May 14; Hinodekan had opened on April 11 and Toyokan waited until May 26. On the other trails April 1 was the commonest day.
• Private-car restriction periods decidedExpected
  About May 20, 2027
  Last time (May 20, 2026): Shizuoka decided on May 20: Fujinomiya July 10 to September 10, Subashiri July 1 to September 10. The Subaru Line's ran from July 3 at 18:00 to September 10.
• Snow patrol confirms the July 1 openingExpected
  About June 21, 2027
  Last time (Jun 22, 2026): A joint party of 26 walked the Yoshida trail on June 22 and found some snow left but nothing to delay July 1. Shizuoka confirmed Subashiri the same day.
• Yoshida and Subashiri trails openExpected
  July 1, 2027 (not announced)
  Last time (Jul 1, 2026): Both opened on schedule. The crater circuit at the summit stayed closed until July 10.
• Shizuoka confirms Fujinomiya and GotembaExpected
  About July 2, 2027
  Last time (Jul 3, 2026): Confirmed on July 3 for July 10 at 9:00. The rules release in April had warned that snow clearing could delay the date; in the Ministry's table, which goes back to 2017, no Shizuoka trail has opened late.
• Fujinomiya and Gotemba trails open; crater circuit opensExpected
  July 10, 2027 (not announced)
  Last time (Jul 10, 2026): Both trails and the crater circuit opened on Friday, July 10.
• Season ends on all four trailsExpected
  September 10, 2027 (not announced)
  Last time (Sep 10, 2026): Shizuoka's trails closed at 17:00 on September 10; the Yoshida trail above the 5th station from midnight.
• Final climber counts for the seasonExpected
  Late September 2027
  Last time (Sep 30, 2026): 240,436 on all four trails, with a daily table for every trail.

Rules and Fees: What 2026 Looked Like

Until the 2027 rules are published, 2026's are the best guide, and Yamanashi described its own as "no major change" from the year before. On every trail: ¥4,000 per person per climb, and no entry between 14:00 and 3:00 without a mountain hut booking, which is how both prefectures stop people climbing through the night without rest.

Yoshida trail (Yamanashi): a limit of 4,000 climbers a day, with hut guests outside the count, and an equipment check at the gate: a warm layer, a rain jacket and trousers, and proper shoes. Booking the entry ahead is optional; 3,000 places a day can be booked and the rest are held for people who turn up. Reservations opened on April 27.

Fujinomiya, Subashiri and Gotemba trails (Shizuoka): no daily limit, but everyone completes an online safety course with a short test and registers before the gate, in the prefecture's FUJI NAVI app or at the trailhead. The app opened on May 8, and about nine in ten Shizuoka-side climbers used it.

What could change: nothing has been announced for the climbing season itself. Around it, Fujiyoshida, the city at the foot of the Yoshida trail, plans to start an accommodation tax on April 1, 2027, and the closed-season rescue fee and notification system described above are both still plans.

The Mountain Now

The Four Trails and the Roads to Them

How Busy Mt Fuji Gets: the 2026 Counts

The Ministry of the Environment runs infrared counters near the 8th station of each trail and publishes every day's figure after the season. In 2026 they logged 240,436 climbers: 56% on the Yoshida trail, 25% on Fujinomiya, 11% on Subashiri and 7% on Gotemba. The pattern inside the season is the useful part for picking a day.

Ten seasons of climbers

Ministry of the Environment, 8th-station counters. Several years have gaps on single trails where a counter failed, so compare years loosely.

Why you will see four different totals

Four bodies count climbers, at different places, and their figures are all correct and all different. A headline that says 174,841 and one that says 240,436 are not contradicting each other.

How Cold the Summit Is, Month by Month

The Japan Meteorological Agency's weather station on the summit gives the plainest argument for the short season: the average only rises above freezing from June to September, and in the 2026 climbing season the thermometer still dropped below zero on 2 of 72 days. The coldest reading of that season was −1.2°C, on Aug 12, the day a typhoon made landfall in Japan; the warmest was 15.8°C on Aug 18.

Degrees Celsius, 1991 to 2020 normals. Latest reading synced on Oct 2.

Season Updates

1. October 2, 2026 · Tracker launch

   All four trails are closed for winter and the summit has no snowcap yet. The roads to the four 5th stations are still open. No 2027 date is official; two prefectures are working on rules for the closed season.

2. September 30, 2026 · Ministry of the Environment, final climber counts

   240,436 climbers passed the 8th-station counters in the 2026 season, 17% more than in 2025 and the most since 2017. The busiest day was Sunday, July 19, with 6,445.

3. September 14, 2026 · Yamanashi Prefecture, closed-season measures

   Yamanashi set out a plan to charge for helicopter rescues of people who climb in the closed season and to start a climbing notification system. No amount and no start date were given. Shizuoka's working group on the same subject was called to its second meeting that afternoon.

4. September 10, 2026 · Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures

   The 2026 season ended: the three Shizuoka trails closed at 17:00 and the Yoshida trail above the 5th station from midnight.

Mt Fuji Climbing Season FAQ